Ross Co. man pleads guilty to possession of meth

A Ross County man who was found to be in possession of methamphetamine in Washington C.H. has pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of drugs.

Brady E. Watson, of Bainbridge, entered his guilty plea on Monday in the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas in Washington C.H.

Watson was indicted by a Fayette County grand jury in April of 2015 for possession of methamphetamine. Watson’s felony possession of drugs charge had been pending for approximately 15 months when Watson appeared in court on Monday. Watson requested treatment in lieu of conviction but failed to complete an assessment in Chillicothe in that 15 month time frame.

During Monday’s court appearance, Fayette County Court of Common Pleas Judge Steven Beathard ordered Watson to take a drug screen. Watson failed the drug screen for benzodiazepine, THC, and Oxycodone, according to court records.

“If he wanted to put himself in a treatment program he would have done so already,” said Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney Jess Weade. Judge Beathard denied Watson’s request for treatment in lieu of conviction.

Watson stated he did not like the treatment assessment program in Chillicothe. Watson’s attorney, Thomas Arrington, maintained Watson is actively seeking treatment and asked the court to recognize Watson is currently dealing with an addiction issue and feels he cannot get help for the addiction issue.

“I expect you to be in treatment when you come back here July 18,” said Judge Beathard. Beathard recommended to Watson that he make contact with the treatment facility in Chillicothe again and ask them if he can get back into the treatment.

Watson was arrested in Washington C.H. Feb. 27, 2015 when police initiated a traffic stop on West Market Street on a vehicle that only had one headlight, according to reports. The driver was identified as Watson. A passenger in the car was identified as having a bench warrant and was arrested, according to a statement made by police, and upon exiting the vehicle police found the passenger to have meth on his person. Watson consented to a search and was found to have meth in the pocket of his pants.

A sheriff’s deputy with a K-9 unit was called to assist the police department, reports said. The K-9 indicated the source of narcotic odor. A plastic baggie with a white substance, a methadone pill, a hinged container containing hypodermic syringes, and two cellophane baggies and a coffee filter containing methamphetamine were found in the search, according to the report. The occupants of the vehicle were arrested on drug charges and transported to the Fayette County Jail.